Horses bred in California and Florida will square off Saturday in the
eight-race, $3.6 million Sunshine Millions at Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park.
Each track will host four events, topped by the $1 million Sunshine Millions
Classic at Santa Anita.
Hollywood Gold Cup H. (G1) winner LAVA MAN (Slew City Slew) is one of the top
draws for the
Classic, which attracted an overflow field of 14. Only 12 will be
allowed to start in the 1 1/8-mile race, and other contenders include PROUD
TOWER TOO (Proud Irish), winner of the December 26 Malibu S. (G1), BUZZARDS BAY
(Marco Bay), winner of the 2005 Santa Anita Derby (G1), Cal Cup Classic H.
winner MCCANN’S MOJAVE (Memo [Chi]), and Florida shippers SUPERVISOR (Skip
Trial), B. B. BEST (Yes It’s True) and WHOS CRYING NOW (Concerto).
The complete Classic field, from the rail out with jockeys, is TEXCESS (In
Excess [Ire]), Kent Desormeaux; Lava Man, Corey Nakatani; B. B. Best, Victor
Espinoza; Supervisor, Tyler Baze; WILD BUDDY (Line in the Sand), Aaron Gryder;
Whos Crying Now, Cornelio Velasquez; DESERT BOOM (Boomerang), Roberto Gonzalez;
SUPER STRUT (Lil Tyler), David Flores; Proud Tower Too, David Cohen; Buzzards
Bay, Garrett Gomez; TRICKEY TREVOR (Demaloot Demashoot), Russell Baze; and
McCann’s Mojave, Jose Valdivia Jr. The also-eligibles are CALKINS ROAD (Illinois
Storm), Javier Santiago and ALWAYS NOBLE (Suave Prospect), Santiago.
All starters will carry 118 pounds.
VALENTINE DANCER (In Excess [Ire]) will seek her third consecutive victory in
the $500,000
Filly & Mare Turf. The six-year-old will face 11 rivals,
including Grade 2 winner MOSCOW BURNING (Moscow Ballet), in the 1 1/8-mile test,
which was oversubscribed by one.
The Filly & Mare contestants, in post position order with jockeys, are
ECLIPSE WINNER (Event of the Year), Nakatani; Valentine Dancer, Jon Court;
ALLBOW (Rainbow Blues [Ire]), Miguel Hernandez; MIDWIFE (Family Calling), Baze;
FIRST DRAFT (Othello), Desormeaux; Moscow Burning, Flores; TIGER BELLE (Tiger
Ridge), Santiago; DANCING GENERAL (General Meeting), Gomez; VOUS (Wild Rush),
Espinoza; BENEFICIAL BARTOK (Bartok [Ire]), Cohen; FORMAL MISS (Formal Dinner),
Velasquez; and CHARMSIL (Silver Charm), Martin Pedroza. On the also-eligible
list is BRAVE VIXEN (Formal Gold), Espinoza.
All runners tote 118 pounds.
Test S. (G1) heroine LEAVE ME ALONE (Bold Badgett), runner-up in the La Brea
S. (G1) in her most recent start, Grade 1 winner ALPHABET KISSES (Alphabet
Soup) and multiple stakes winner THRILLING VICTORY (Event of the Year), who
finished third in the La Brea, are among the leading candidates for the $300,000
Filly & Mare Sprint. The six-furlong event attracted 13 entrants. The Arcadia,
California, track also will host the six-furlong, $250,000
Dash for
three-year-olds. Four-time stakes winner IN SUMMATION (Put It Back) could be the
one to beat in the eight-horse field.
Gulfstream Park will offer the $500,000
Turf and SILVER TREE (Hennessy), who
won the Tropical Turf H. (G3) in his last start, is a top contender. The Bill
Mott trainee finished a close third in this event last year and is unbeaten in
three starts over this course. Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, who will retire
from the saddle at the end of the day, rides. Top challengers include WILLOW O
WISP (Misnomer), winner of the Cinema Breeders’ Cup H. (G3), La Jolla H. (G2)
and Del Mar Derby (G2) before finishing a close ninth in the Hong Kong Cup
(HK-G1) in mid-December, and the Todd Pletcher-trained ICY ATLANTIC (Stormy
Atlantic), who will be guided by John Velazquez.
MIESQUE’S APPROVAL (Miesque’s Son) will lead the post parade under jockey
Eddie Castro and 122 pounds, and will be followed by STORMY ROMAN (Future
Storm), Mike Smith, 122; GIN AND SIN (Go for Gin), Javier Castellano, 122;
Silver Tree, 122; EASTERN SAND (Line in the Sand), Edgar Prado, 120; DREAM ON
DREAM ON (Untuttable), Juan Leyva, 120; Willow O Wisp, Pat Valenzuela, 120;
NIGHT DASH (Vaudeville), Chris DeCarlo, 120; CAPTAIN SQUIRE (Flying Chevron),
Alex Solis, 122; WE ALL LOVE ALEYNA (Nines Wild), Rafael Bejarano, 122; TOUCHED
BY MADNESS (Sword Dance [Ire]), Shaun Bridgmohan, 120; and Icy Atlantic, 122.
The also eligibles are BALLONENOSTRIKES (Lost Soldier), Jose Lezcano, 122; and
BE MY BUDDY (Belong To Me), Brice Blanc, 122.
SWEET LIPS (Kris S.), who won last year’s $500,000
Distaff, is back to defend
her title against eight rivals. The Bobby Frankel-trained mare will be ridden by Prado in the 1 1/8-mile event. DREAM OF SUMMER (Siberian Summer), winner
of the 2005 Apple Blossom H. (G1), exits a runner-up effort in the Bayakoa H.
(G2) and could go forth as the favorite. Multiple Grade 2 winner HOUSE OF
FORTUNE (Free House) is another top contender.
The field for the Distaff, from the inside out with jockeys, consists of
House of Fortune, Valenzuela; SPECIAL REPORT (Notebook), Castro; SNUG HARBOUR
(Boston Harbor), Castellano; PITANGA (Halo’s Image), Bejarano; AMERICAN MISS (Ameri
Valley), Lezcano; SECRET CORSAGE (Lost Soldier), Bailey; Dream of Summer,
Velazquez; Sweet Lips; and FORMAL LADY (Formal Dinner), Rajiv Maragh.
All starters will carry 122 pounds, except Snug Harbour and Pitanga, who will
shoulder 120.
Vernon O. Underwood S. (G3) hero BORDONARO (Memo [Chi]) could vie for
favoritism with Kenny Noe Jr. H. winner MISTER FOTIS (Diligence) in the $300,000
Sprint. Other threats in the six-furlong test include 2005 Amsterdam S. (G2)
winner SANTANA STRINGS (Wheaton) and 2005 WinStar Derby winner THOR’S ECHO
(Swiss Yodeler), who gets a rider change to Bailey.
The South Florida track also will host the $250,000
Oaks, which features a
full field of 14 three-year-old fillies. KNIGHTS TEMPLAR (Exploit), who set the
pace before fading to sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), should
attract plenty of support in the six-furlong event.